From the Saratogian in upstate NY
“There’s a lot of disappointment at every level of hockey,” said Panthers coach Kevin Dineen, who spends summers at Glen Lake in Queensbury. “We were really excited about the momentum we were bringing into this season
Some of our players have rented ice time here in South Florida,” he said. “They’re skating together three or four times per week. Players have no access to team facilities during the lockout. Some of our European guys have gone home to play. It’s a real mixed bag on where guys are.”
He said it will take from 10 days to two weeks for teams to get ready if and when a new Collective Bargaining Agreement is reached. Dineen has done everything possible to plan out an abbreviated practice schedule so that he’s ready when things finally get settled.
If there is no movement, it wouldn’t be surprising to find Dineen watching a few Adirondack Phantoms games in Glens Falls. His father, Bill, a former Adirondack Red Wings coach, lives in Queensbury and his two brothers – Peter and Sean – scout the American league.
The Phantoms should be really loaded,” Dineen said. “They have a lot of players who played in Philadelphia last year. They’re true NHL players.”
“That’s always a concern,” he said of conditioning. “I see that St. Louis has seven players overseas. So they’ll be in more of a season mode than a training camp mode when the NHL season gets under way. It’s going to help teams like that.”
“It’s being handled at much different levels,” he said. “We’re just waiting to see how things play out.”

Comments (1 Comment)

I would be more concerned about the lockout, but as long as my JetBlue flights are on time, I don’t care.

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About the author

HARVEY FIALKOV, a tennis-playing sportswriter who grew up in Long Island following the dynastic Islanders, is the new Panthers beat writer for the Sun Sentinel and looking forward to writing about the best professional sports team in Broward County.